Jump to content
Subscribe to the Spin Axis Podcast! ×
Subscribe to the Spin Axis Podcast!

StuM

Established Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,604

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    26

Blog Entries posted by StuM

  1. StuM

    Stage 5-1 Time to move forward

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Its been a while since I updated, so here goes.
    First: Thanks to all that were at the TST Outing in OH this past week.  It was fun.
    I had allowed myself to let my golf training & weight loss fall behind the last couple of months.  Simply got busy with other things and failed to make either a priority.  Weight-wise I've added @ 8 lbs but feel I should be able to get that off quickly once I get back on the treadmill (TONIGHT!) and cut back on the hot dogs, pizza and beer that I enjoy a lot during the summer.
    As for golf, I do not have a good benchmark but suspect my lack of practice/training/drills has added several strokes to my score.  I shot an embarrassing score at Virtues last Sunday.  It is posted to GHIN and those in attendance know it but other than that I am not going to mention shooting a 112  (opps, just let it slip).  @bkuehn1952 felt I began to rush my putts once I knew I was having a bad score and I need to not let frustration get to me.  Still, it was more than putting that caused that score.
    I did my arm drill for the first time in quite a while this week and will get a video on Evolver soon and will get re-committed to improving.
    As for my foot recovery I am ecstatic.   I golfed 45 holes at Garland May 28 & 29 then 36 holes in Ohio June 1 & 2 and then 9 holes June 4th.  That is 90 holes in 8 days and no pain in the foot.  😊 That is a far cry from May 2023 at Little Mountain where I could barely finish 9 holes.
    On another note, @Hardspoon and @saevel25 are going to coordinate a 2025 TST Outing.  I encourage all to attend that if they can as these outings are fantastic fun and a great way to meet other TST Members.
  2. StuM

    Stage 5 - Time to Get Golfing

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Well, my return to golf has not happened but I plan to swing a club in the next few days.  I've done a couple easy swings with The Stack and can do it, just need to actually "Do It".  My though is to spend a few sessions getting my swing back before I do the baseline for The Stack so maybe that starts 1-2 weeks from now.  Also, once I know I am swinging somewhat back to normal it will be time to start Evolver, hopefully in 1-2 weeks
    As for my weight loss, I've plateaued and have been stuck between 224 and 227 for the past few weeks.  My foot is still hurting if I spend too much time on my feet and that has discouraged me from doing any real cardio which has been my primary exercise to burn calories.  Additionally, I've had some weak moments involving chocolate and/or beer.  I like both but they are both "Wasted Calories" and avoiding them has contributed to my prior weight loss and I think I need to stay away from them a little longer.  
    My foot thereby is going well according to my Therapist but I am not happy since I still have a limp and a little pain.  It is a lot better than before the surgery and I was told it would take up to a year for a full recovery but I would really like to be a little better at this point. I originally booked 3 Rehab sessions per week through the end of March and this morning I added another 8 session (2 per week) in April.
  3. StuM

    Entering Stage 4, finally

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    I initially planned to start stage 4 i@ Dec 8th but the surgeon nixed that idea.  This week he finally gave me permission to remove the walking boot and begin therapy.  I still have restrictions and will not be swinging a golf club for a while and also my cardio exercise is limited to walking only, no jogging, and if on a stationery bike I need to stay "In the Saddle".  He does not want excessive pressure on the foot.  He does not want me doing leg presses, squats, etc. with anything more than my body weight until my next meeting with him.  But at least I can do some things.  My next appt with the surgeon is April 11th.
    My goal for Weight Goal for Stage 3 was to hold steady @ 241lbs through Dec. 31st and not gain while unable to exercise.  I was unable to weigh in until now since could not stand firmly on both feet so today was my 1st weigh in for @ 2 1/2 months.   I'm not really sure how but I CRUSHED IT!.  I actually lost @ 7 lbs since Oct. 25th and weighed in this morning at 233.6 and I am VERY HAPPY!
    I need to revise my goal for this stage.  Initially my overall goal was to target 225 lbs which is only 9 lbs away.  I know I have more to lose so will set a goal of 215 by Feb. 29th.  That is @ 3 lbs per week and I think that is doable.  I do not plan to stop there and expect to add a new lower goal in the future.  I am going to begin minor daily cardio on either the treadmill or stationary bike.  I will also begin formal therapy on the foot & ankle (my initially PT Assessment it Jan. 29th but I will begin working on some mobility items on my own.  I will do some basic body-weight squats, etc. to begin lower body training and will begin doing upper body, which has no doctor restrictions.
    It is time to start thinking about my Golf Goals.  I do not have the "OK" from the surgeon to swing a club but he did not say I "Could Not" swing a club.  I am setting a goal of being able to swing a golf club on March 1st.  I'll need to confirm that with PT I feel pretty confident that is doable.  I'll start with some short chip shots, etc. in February and see where that goes.  One question I need to research is if I should start my Evolver Golf when just doing the chip shots.  My guess is I can do that and add Full Swing lessons later.
    Today was a crazy day to start this.  We got our first winter storm over night and just clearing the drive with the snow thrower I have 9,700 steps on my fitbit by 1pm.  I've not come close to 10,000 steps since the surgery.  
     
     
  4. StuM

    End of Stage 3, but Stage 4 "Delayed"

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    The cast was removed yesterday and overall the doc is happy.  I'm now in a Walking Boot and can begin adding weight to my leg.  He wants me to start with between 25-50% weight on my foot for the next week and gradually work up to 100% weight bearing over the next 4 weeks.  He also wants me to hold off on rehabilitation therapy until after January 11th.  I was hoping to start rehab before Christmas in hopes of swinging a golf club beginning in January but I guess I was overly optimistic.
    I'm thinking it may be February before I can start my Speed Training & Evolver lessons.  Also, without being 100% weight bearing I will not be able to do my treadmill and cycle as hoped which will delay the resumption of my weight loss goal.  I need to add upper-body weight training which should help.  Truth be told, I should have added that 6 weeks ago.
    I meant to ask the doc if I could do cycle since that is more the ball of the foot and not as much stress on the arch & heal but forgot to ask.
    My goal for Stage 3 was to avoid gaining weight until I could start weight-bearing on the foot.  I think I was close but standing on a scale with most weight on 1 foot as well as being fully clothed and wearing a walking boot does not lead to the most accurate weigh-in.  Still, this morning it showed @ 245(is) and if I subtract 3-4 lbs for the boot & clothing I get real close to where I was just before surgery.  Heck, if I subtract 5 pounds then I actually lost weight.  Maybe I should subtract 10 pounds?  OK, that is just me being stupid.
    Since I can't fully weight-bear yet I am going to set a mid-stage goal of being @ 241.2 on Jan 11th when I should be 100% weight-bearing and be cleared to start rehab.  That is the same weight as the morning of the Oct 25th surgery.
    I reviewed my Fitbit data and prior to the surgery I was burning 3400-3500 calories per day.  Since Oct 25th I am closer to 2200 per day.  A difference of 1200 per day for the last 44 days.  I've always assumed I would loss @ 1 pound for every 3500 calorie deficit.  Using that math, the last 6 weeks have prevented me from losing @ 15 pounds and the next 4 weeks I may have been able to lose another @ 12 pounds.  Nothing I can do about that, but it sure would have been nice to start 2024 @ 214lbs.  I have not seen that weight since the late 2016.  No point in whining over something out of my control, but I just can't help it, I am a whiner!   
     
  5. StuM

    Moving to Stage 3

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Weighed in this morning at 241.2 which is a little above the 240 goal I had for before my surgery.  A miss but overall I am satisfied since down 40 lbs since start of phase 2 @ 3 months ago.
    Surgery is this morning so starting Phase 3 and the goal is simple, do not gain any weight between now and when I get the OK to resume weight bearing on my foot @ Dec 8th.  Given there will be very little physical activity during this period it will be up to portion control & quality food.
    Have not golfed for a few weeks and looking forward to speed training & lessons which may start sometime in January depending on my recovery.
  6. StuM

    Stage 2 – 4 Weeks Left and Very Motivated

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    First, I want to thank you for the encouraging comments, they help a lot.
    I am now 8 weeks into the 12 weeks of my “Stage 2” goal.  As in the past, my focus on golf has been taking backseat to losing weight and that shows in my golf game.  Last week I shot a 52, of which 6 shots were trying to get out of 2 bunkers, that is 4 wasted shots.  My problem with bunkers is self-inflicted, I never practice them (WOW, what an insight, the area of my game I never practice is the worst part of my game!)  The week before nothing was working and I shot a 59, which would have been magnificent had I played 18 holes instead of 9.  I do feel I’m holding my head more steady and getting better contact but I still have days like when I shot 59 that the old habits come back with a vengeance.
    Luckily, I am doing better on the health goals.  When “Stage 2” started on July 31st my goal was to get to 256 before my Oct. 25th surgery.  I then revised that on Aug. 28th to be 240 by Oct. 25th.  Today I weighed in at 252 and I have 4 weeks left to the end of Stage 2.  I feel I can get down to 240 but need to keep the activity levels up and the “Cheat Days” to a minimum.
    To date I’ve been able to lose by eating better foods with more appropriate portions (FYI, just because a Pizza comes with 6 slices does not mean that 6 slices = 1 serving) combined with increased physical activity.
    The therapy on the knee has worked wonders and that has helped me increase activity which I think has helped keep the pace of weight loss up.  My knee was a worry since it could impact my ability to do therapy on the foot after the surgery so I am a little more confident I’ll be OK for that.
    One disappointment, according to the BMI calculators I am still "Obese" and would still be "Obese" at the 240 goal.  Of course, 240 is not the final goal but to get to "Normal" I need to be at 194 which is another 58 pounds from now.  I really do not think I can get to that weight.  The lowest weight in my log is 211 from June 10, 2016.  That was over 7 years ago.  And I have no clue the last time I was at or under 200.  That may have been 30+ years ago.  I know I was 175 when I graduated high school, but that was 43 years ago.  I've been reading about using waist circumference relative to height as a potentially better indicator and I'll need to learn more about that.
  7. StuM

    Stage 2 - Update after first 4 of 12 weeks.

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    I am now 4 weeks into the 12 weeks for my "Stage 2" goal.
    As for golf, I'm not getting out to the range so no practice.  I am trying to keep my head still but since not practicing I am less than successful.  Unfortunately I think there will be no range time this year.  Not good for the game but it is what it is.
    On the health front things are going much better even though I am not doing the activities as initially planned.  I started therapy on the knee on Aug. 4th and it is much better.  Doing a daily 45 minute session just focused on the knee including some resistance bands and a lot of stretching.  I'm walking better and have much less pain.  The knee therapy has taken the time I set aside for weight training and thus I've done no weights for several weeks.  The less pain in the knee is helping me do more on the stationary bike & treadmill.  I've even added stair flights to my routine which I could barley do when the knee was hurting.  As a result my cardio exercises have become more beneficial.  The other day I was able to do a full 45 minutes on the treadmill without knee pain and the ankle was only mildly irritated and no more pain shooting up my right leg.  I'm doing more stationary bike then treadmill to avoid over pushing it on the knee & ankle but its nice to be able to mix it up a little.
    My goal to eat better is doing real well.  I've removed Pasta altogether and the only bread is a few croutons on a salad.  My breakfasts are rather boring, Oatmeal with Blueberries & Strawberries every morning.  Lunches are primarily salads with Chicken for protein.  My dinner entrées include Tilapia, Salmon, Ground Turkey burgers w/ no bun, pork chops and several variations of chicken (Grilled, BBQ, baked, air-fried & chicken tacos).  I've had 1 steak in the past month and made sure that was not a over-sized portion.  My dinner sides include steamed broccoli or carrots, red skin potatoes and baked sweet potatoes.  I've added carrots as between meal snacks and my evening snack is an apple.   I am not feeling hungry in the least and I'm getting a fair amount of protein.   As for beverages, it is only Water or Gatorade while on the golf course.   Beer is off the menu, just too many wasted calories.   
    The increased cardio and better diet have helped on the weight front.  My Stage 2 goal was to be 256 by Oct. 25th.  As of today I am already down to 264 so 8lbs in the next 8 weeks should be no problem.  I guess I need to update & lower the goal, new goal is 240.  That's 3 lbs per week so I will need to be diligent.
  8. StuM

    On to Stage 2

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    The last 2 weeks did not go exactly to plan but I will count them as a success.  I did cardio @ 4 times per week, not 7 per week, and did only 1 weight session each week instead of 3.  On the eating better front I did good and only had 2 “Cheat Days”.  Even with the lighter schedule I did get down to 281.4 which is a drop of 5.4 pounds.  Since my goals were to stabilize and stop gaining weight, I will count that as a success.
    The fewer workouts were primarily due to a lot of outdoor activity which in themselves were workouts.  Moved 600 pounds of rock and @ 90 cubic feet of mulch.  And doing that in the heat & humidity clearly helped.  Had a family picnic this past Saturday which was a “Cheat Day” (BBQ Chicken, Steak, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Cake, & BEER).  My weigh in last Friday was lower than this morning but July 31st was the goal date so that is the number above.
    Stage 2 runs through Oct. 25th, which is the date of my surgery.  I would like to drop @ 25.4 pounds and get down to @ 256 by then.  That is 12 weeks so just over 2 pounds per week which is not an aggressive goal.
    As for Golf, it is going OK, not great but not absolute crap either.  I need to keep my head still.  I’ll look over TST for some drills to work on but if any can point me to a thread it would help.
  9. StuM

    A New Beginning - Again

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Well, today is the start of new goals and new determination.  My Golf goals will not kick in until 2024, after my surgery and after sufficient rehab to begin swinging the club.  In 2024 I will sign up for Evolver On-line training and start workin on true swing issues.  When that will start will depend on my progress in the rehab after the surgery.  Rebah will not even begin until Dec. and I figure I'll not be ready to swing a club until possibly January or February.
    For my health goals I am going to get back on the wagon and start excercise and eating right.  I'm embarrased to post this but putting goals and facts out there does hold me accountable.  Ths morning was my first weigh-in in over a year and I have a new "worst" weight of my live, 286.8.  I'm setting a goal to get down to 225 but am not putting a firm date on that at this time.  My past weight loss included eating better foods, eating smaller portions (not starving myself but not stufffing myself either), daily cardio excercise (40-60 minutes on treadmill every day) and 3 weight trainings per week.  That works and I know it will work but given my foot issues I'm not sure how hard I can push on the cardio and some lower body weight training may be limited.  I may need to use the stationary bike more than the treadmill, but I do not like the bike.  As for the weights, I should be able to do most excercises but some lower-body may be limited.
    My initial goal for the next 2 weeks is "Set the stage" and simply to do some cardio excercise every day (even if only 15 minutes), do 3 weight sessions per week and begin eating better.   I am not expecting to "Push hard" but simply to get in the habit of doing the work.  I'm not planning on any significant weigth loss but instead look to build up some endurance so I can do more intense workouts in the weeks ahead.   My stated goal for July 31st weigh-in is to be 285 or lower, basically to "stop gaining weight".
    I'm not sure what a realistic goal is to lose prior to my Oct. 25th surgery but that is just over 14 weeks so maybe target 256 works out to just @ 2 pounds per week on average.  Even with limited excercise that should be attainable.
    My goal for Dec. 31st will be to NOT gain any weight after my Oct. 25th surgery.  For the first 6 weeks after surgery I will not be able to do any cardio (zero weigth allowed on my foot) and that would also limit any weight training to only upeer body.  It will then take a little time to rehabe the foot.  Thus, simply holding the line by eating right is the goal.
    I'll know better where my physcial capabilities are by Jan. 1st and then I will figure out the goal to get the last 31 pounds off.  Hopefully after some rehab I may be able to push harder on both the cardio & lower body weigth training in the first part of 2024.  I would love to be at the 225 goal by March 31st but that is just a "Wish" at this time.  Back in early 2016 I was down to 210 and it would be nice to get there again so depending on how things go I may shoot for 210 later in 2024.  
  10. StuM

    This is Frustrating

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    I hate to admit it but this blog is becoming a little less "Golf" and more "Health" than I would like.  I was hoping that for now I could just accept the foot/ankle surgery was upcoming and golf but unforrtunately that is not the case.  For those who saw me golf at Little Mountain i was a disastor near the end of the round.   Both my ankle & knee were killing me.  My hope has been that my knew was hurting because my gait was off due to the ruptured tendon in my ankle.  Well, last Friday I saw a Knee Orthopedic Specialist and he said it was the bad gait may have exaggerated the knee issues but he said artrhitis has caused a small part of the knee to be "Bone on Bone" but most of the knee still has cartilege but overall I am in need of a knee replacement.
    He gave me 2 options.  One option was he could work me into his schdule in July for a new knew and with 90 day recovery I "Should" be recovered prior to my Oct. 25th surgery for the tendon.  The kew word is "Should" which means there is a chance I would not be fully recovered by then.  If I were to go that route I would move the foot/ankle back to Nov. or Deceber to be safe.  Even then, I would be barely recovered from one surgery when going in for another surger.  Option 2 is Cortison shots & some rehap for the knee.
    I've opted for the Cortisone and it seems to be working, at least for the 3 days since the shot.  Hopefully it I have good long-term success with the Cortison and can get wll past the 6-9 month recovery period for the foot/tendon.  If lucky, the Corisone may buy me more than 18 months.
    Good news is, I can golf the remainder of this season and if all goes well I will also have a full season next year.  That is my goal.
    I figure my next real golf goal will be in the Spring and if the rehab goes well I'll get a few lessons to try to get my swing in shape.  For the remainder of this year I am just playing & having fun.
     
  11. StuM

    Getting There, Maybe? Hopefully?

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    I've golfed several rounds now and the ankle brace and it should not be an issue but I think walking a round is out of the question.  At Little Mountain it was "Cart Path Only" and a lot of walking ensued and by the 16th hole I was ready to stop.  I seem to do OK when there are no cart restrictions but a lot of walking was not pleasant.  I've golfed enough rounds with the brace that I am not really thinking about it during my swing which helps.  So now I need to move to improving my swing and just stop thinking about the ankle.
    I've had some really good shots (for me) of late and I think I found a significant difference between my good and bad shots and my focus will be on getting that area to be more consistent.  Its a pretty simple thing, or so one would hope.  I have a real bad habit of taking my eye of the ball well before contact and that usually involves lifting my head and results in really bad contact.  When I successfully suppress that habit my contact is much better and results are much better. 
    I need to get out to the range and try to capture both good & bad on camera to post in the "My Swing" page to get some independent feedback.  As we all know, I may be "Feeling" one thing but actually doing something totally different but for now I believe that if I can just watch the ball a little longer and keep my head still a little longer I tend to have better outcomes.  If I recall, keeping a steady head is one of the 5 Simple Keys® so at least it makes sense to me that I need to work on that.  
  12. StuM

    Looking Up

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Well, I did 9 holes this week wearing the ankle brace and I hit some really nice shots and I could still walk after the round.  Once I stopped thinking about the ankle and just did the swing it was fine.  Score was not low but was not over the top either.  I am not certain but I may have been swinging a little easier because of the brace and was making very good contact. Distances were just fine, maybe even a little longer than last year but 9 holes is so few it is hard to draw many conclusions.
    Going forward I may try to walk a round in the braces and see how that goes.
    I think these braces just saved my golf season.  It will be interesting to see how I do on 18 holes on Sat & Sun this weekend in Ohio
  13. StuM

    1st Time on the Course This Season, Hoping Things Get Better

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Well, yesterday was my first time out this year for 9 holes.  It started "OK" with 3 consecutive bogeys which could have been better had I sunk one of the 2 par putts.  For me that is good.  But on the 4th hole I caught myself not doing a full turn and my right foot felt like it was glued to the ground.  The scores increased hole-by-hole along with the sharp pain.  Thank God my putting was good.  I sunk both a 15 & 20 footer and left a 30 footer only a few inches right of the hole.  On #8 (Par 3) the hole was playing @ 183 yards and my tee shot was "only" @ 120 yards short of the green 😁.  On #9 my tee shot did not even make it to the Red (Forward) tees and I ended up picking up with an 8 before even getting on the green (it was a par-4).  It was as if I was trying to only use my arms to swing the club and was standing firm footed with zero rotation.
    Good news is that I will pick up the braces for the ankle this coming Friday and hope they reduce the pain and hopefully allow for better golf.
    Regardless, I am going to continue golfing!
  14. StuM

    Going to Be a Year of Change

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    It has been a very long time since I update this blog.  As I write this I am unsure how my golf season will unfold.  I have had foot & ankle problems for 20+ years and in the past year they got bad, real bad.  Today my Dr. gave me two choices.  Surgery or an updated & more aggressive custom orthopedic brace.  I am opting for the brace and keeping surgery as a last resort.  I've had custom orthotics for years but these new ones will go farther up the ankle and will restrict my ankle movement much more.  I figure the loss of mobility can't be any worse than the pain that has hindered me for the past year.  Still, I suspect it will impact my swing and I really do not know what to expect this spring.  BUT I'M STILL GOLFING!
    I originally titled this blog "My Golf Transformation" and honestly, it has not transformed.  But maybe if I get some relief from the pain I can make some progress.
    Last season I tried walking more and that may have contributed to problems with the ankle.  I will start this season in a cart and see how things progress before walking another round.  Thing is, I really liked walking and want to walk.  Hopefully that is back in the cards before the end of this season.  
  15. StuM

    Looking Back at 2021

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Its been too long since I updated this blog but it is March 2022 and time to reconsider goals & plan.  Looking back last year did not achieve much of what I wanted.  I lost most of the weight I was looking for but put some back on over the winter.  I'm not giving up on that, just need to moderate my portions.  As for golf, I did AimPoint as planned and that was time & money well spent.  Putting improved last year but the rest of my game was still inconstant and did not improve as I had hoped.  I did get a good lesson from @iacas in October when he changed my grip.  Unfortunately, this winter was very busy and I did not practice at all so that change is still feeling "Off" and I need to practice it. 
    I got to the range for the first time this past Saturday but things went off the rails real quick.  I had hit @ 5 balls with my 7 Iron to warm up when I heard a "Bang" in the parking lot.  I turned and saw someone had backed into my SUV.  He tried to drive off but when he heard my wife scream to people in the lot to stop him and he saw me running into the parking lot he stopped.  Lucky for me I was able to see into the parking lot and get there pretty quick.  Since it was in a parking lot we had to go to the police station to get a Case Number for my insurance.  So much for hitting balls on Saturday.  Good news is the damage is about as minor as possible and insurance will cover 100%.
    I'm going to give some thought to my 2022 goals and get those posted soon.  One goal I am putting out there to @iacas @dennyjones @ChetlovesMer @Carl3 @saevel25 and @Chris Brooks and others is to see if we can do another TST Group lesson in Erie.  It was a fun & beneficial.    
  16. StuM

    Time to Re-Focus

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Well, The past 6-7 weeks has not been good for my game.  I could list many excuses but bottom line is I cannot expect to improve if I do not do the practice.  Other that the practice green before my league I have not been to a range once for quite some time.  I will look for the positive, my putting is the best area of my game and it shows that practice can and does work so if I make time for the range I should improve other aspects of my game.  Also, this morning I met up with @dennyjonesand was able to spend a little time on the range before that round.  Not enough to give me a 180 degree turnaround on my game but enough that I felt I can progress more.  I only hit 4 of 14 fairways today but I was able to dig out of trouble a few times and had 1 GIR and 6 nGIRs.  Still had a few blow-up holes and some really bad shots, but the bad shots did not cause me to totally collapse on future holes.  Had 3 Pars, 5 Bogeys, 6 Double-Bogeys, 2 Triple-Bogeys & 2 Quad-Bogeys.  Those Triples & Quadruples really hurt and this should round should have been in the high 90s instead of 103.  My putting really helped with a total of 32 putts and only 2 Three-Putts.  My goal in the next few weeks needs to be to get to the range.  
    Not sure why, but my Game Golf would not load up.  It uploaded a round then said "No Data".  Oh Well, I at least kept some stats manually but really wanted to see more of the stats from GG.  Hopefully next time.
     
  17. StuM

    Progressing & Regressing

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Its been longer than anticipated since my last update but I have been busy with both golf & my day job.
    My transformation is continuing but nowhere near complete.  On the good side, my putting has been fantastic.  Still a few 3-Putts but they are mostly when I have a very long first putt, say 50' or so.  Still, I have sunk a few of those super long putts to the astonishment of myself and others.  The big difference is my confidence.  I now always believe I can get it very close no matter what and that just makes it easier.  I have incorporated more putting in my warm up before the round.  My warmp-up is exclusively focused on getting the speed, I do not even look at the line.  If I can get the speed for up-hill, down-hill & relatively flat putts before I tee off all I need to focus on during the round is the line.  I strongly endorse AimPoint for anyone that wants to improve their putting.  I am a believer!
    My length has returned to my drives which is nice and when I am "ON" it is great.  The issue is that I am simply not "ON" all the time.  One day I will hit nice and straight on most drives, the next day I slice most.  I seem to have 2 recurring issues that I tend to alternate....I focus on fixing one and slip on the other.  I know the answer is more range time as the good days are when I've had 2-3 range sessions in the prior week and the bad days are when I've been busy on the day job and do not hit the range at all.  I've tried making time before my league to hit the range to warm up but that is only partially effective.  Where my league plays does not have a range so I need to go elsewhere first.  Combine that with the fact that I am always the last group out (I run the league and that is just the way it is) that by the time I get out I am no longer "Warm".  Looking at one of @iacasblog posts I realize my best days are when it does not feel 100% comfortable.  Clearly I still have some of the bad habits that have not been tamed.  The two main issues are I still want to "Pin" my right elbow against my side on the back swing.  That never works but it just keeps slipping back in.  My other stupid habit is for some reason I subconsciously loosen and re-grip my club between my practice swing and my real swing.  That causes a slight change of the club in my hands which just messes things up.  When I do not do that if feels real odd on my takeaway, but those are usually my best shots.  
    My shots from the fairway are similar to my drives, good one day, bad the next. Again I know the answer....Practice!
    Overall I have not shot any great round but I do feel things are improving.  This past week I shot 52 on 9 but that was with taking a 10 on a Par-5, an 8 on a Par-4 and a 5 on a Par-3 (with a #$$%%$ 3-Putt!).  I figure those three holes cost me 8 shots if I just shot bogies which would have been a 44 which for me would be fantastic.   I need to stop the "Blow-Up Holes".
    I am not walking as much as I would like.  On my league most of the guys ride and when I am the only walker in the group I feel like I am constantly rushing to keep up with their carts and that is not conducive to a good round.  One week I took advantage of my Authorita and created my group as all walkers and that felt much better but I can't do that every week.  I've only been out a couple of weekends with the guys and they always ride so I am riding then also.  I do like walking when I do it, I'm just not sure how I am going to get more walking in on a consistent basis.  
    My weight loss has suffered from my busy schedule and the drinks after the rounds but I am holding steady.  I still need to drop a little and with good weather I am hoping to get more walks over lunch to help add some exercise time.
    The thing I keep telling myself is that a total change in my game will not be instant, it is a transformation that will take time.  I am done with my lessons, for now, and my teaching pro told me to not worry about my current rounds and just keep doing what he has told me and he suspects later this year it will all come together.
  18. StuM

    AimPoint & Looking Forward

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    I did not plan on so long between posts but I’ve been busy with Life, Work & Golf.  I’ve never practiced so much on golf and I think I am getting things figured out.  At least I need to have that hope otherwise I will get very depressed if I conclude I will never get better a this game.
    I finally took my AimPoint Putting lesson on April 9th.  Much later than hoped but it was worth waiting for.   I had a couple concerns with AimPoint before my lesson but based on many positive comments I ignored my concerns and took the lesson.  My 1st concern was that I would not be able to “Feel” the slope in my feet.  I have terrible sense of balance and did not think I could do it.   My 2nd concern was it would slow me down and I do not want to be the focus of a “Slow Play” thread.
    Kelly was a fantastic teacher.  For those who have taken AimPoint this likely sounds familiar but he started with having me stand at a 0% slope then moved to a 4% area, then to 2% then 3% just so I could start to feel the differences.  I was surprised I could feel the differences, although I will admit judging difference between 0 and 4 is much easier than between 0 and 1.  He then spent time showing me how to use the slope I feel to translate it into a place to aim.  I was shocked when my first attempt at a 6’ putt dropped in the center of the hole.  That was a real confidence builder.  Of course, the next several putts from other locations did not drop but overall most were easy “Clean-Up” putts.  We then moved to longer putts and he also through in a double-breaker here and there.  I left feeling more confident in my putting than ever before.  In the 2 weeks since the lesson I have hit the practice green so many times I lost count.  My problem now is I need to find a new practice green so I do not accidentally use “Memory” to make the putts.  So far I have worked to avoid using my memory by having my wife randomly select putts and I tell he my read and after the putt she tells me what the digital level reads to, hopefully, confirm my read.  I’ll often read it as a 2 when it is a 1 but that seems to have minimal impact since even when I am wrong the result is close enough to avoid most 3-Putts.  I’ve not used it in a real round yet, that will happen tomorrow.
    I’ve also spent a lot of time at the range and did a few practice rounds.  My scores in the practice rounds have been thoroughly depressing but I am considering them irrelevant and forging ahead.  My last driving range session was encouraging.  I noticed something and made a very minor tweak and saw a very significant improvement.  One thing (of many) my teaching pro has me working on is completing my back swing. I have been very focused on that and what I noticed was that in trying to get that last inch or so of back swing causes me to move head and then as I swing down my head is moving all over the place and contact is totally unpredictable.  I found by just not going that last inch my head stays steadier and contact improves.  I’m not saying “I have arrived” but I was hitting some really nice shots, both on-target and Looooong.  I saw several drives roll past the 250 marker which is great for me.  I’ll put my average closer to 225-235 at this time.
    Looking Forward, I have what I plan on being my first round of the year where I do not take extract shots and will have a “True Score” tomorrow.  I plan on hitting both the range & putting green ahead of the round to reinforce my swing then hope to play without spending too much time thinking about every aspect of my swing during the round.  I’m not expecting a miracle round but I am confident I will have enough “small successes” to feel good about my progress.  I just wish my “Game Golf” was working so I could get some accurate detail on distances but will have to live with basic stats.  I am going to track Fairways Hit, GIR, nGIR, Number of Putts and number of Penalties.
    I do not know what I will write about next, hopefully it will be “Encouraged” and not “Discouraged”
  19. StuM

    Going Backwards to Move Forward

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    Well, things with the golf game are a little frustrating but I am trusting in my pro.  When I started this series with him, we discussed my goals and we agreed I was not looking for a quick fix.  He is working to make little tweaks in my swing.  I’m waiting for my latest lesson video and will post that but in general he initially worked on me completing my rotation on the backswing to position A4, take a brief pause to and start my hip rotation before starting my downswing and not “Swinging Out” to right field at impact.  Also based on comments from TST members I am working to get less weight on my heals at address.  He had me slow my swing and take incomplete swings with the goal only hitting my driver 100 yards and stopping my swing in the A8 position with my belt buckle aimed at the target and my club in a line from my belly button to the target.  I’ve hit a dozen buckets doing only that.  The frustrating part is that when I did try a full swing my distance was gone, just not enough speed in the swing.  I mentioned that and he said to trust the process and not worry about the distance, it would come as the mechanics get more natural.
    In my 2nd lesson He then added more tweaks to have the club face more open at A2, and not let my hands get ahead of the club at impact.  I’ve only hit two buckets since then so much work remains. Also we discuss my “Palmy Grip” and I got new oversized grips which seems to be helping.
    I am shocked with myself, I turned down a round of golf this coming weekend because I was concerned my swing was not ready and I would be tempted to revert to my old swing out of frustration and wanting to do better on the course.  I’ll hit the range instead.
    I’ve finished LSW and will re-read it in its entirety again.  I’ve not yet worked on my shot zones since my swing is in flux and I expect them to change, hopefully for the better.
    My AimPoint instructor is waiting for a little more consistency in the weather but I expect that will occur in the next 2-3 weeks, I am REALLY EAGER to learn it and wish we could do it this weekend.  That would make passing on the round of golf easier to swallow.
    My weight loss goal is going better than anticipated and I am currently down 22 pounds in 6 ½ weeks.  My goal was @ 3lbs per week so I am just a little ahead of that, I just hope I do not Leon Lett it (sorry, I just learned that).  I’ve gotten to the point where I can have an occasional “Cheat Day” and enjoyed my Reubens on St. Patrick’s Day.  The cardio is getting easier which will help when I walk the course more often.
    Ideally next update will be on AimPoint.
  20. StuM

    The Journey Has Begun

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    I’ve laid out a lot of goals and activities and now the plan is in action, but not without some further tweaks.  I was cautioned about taking my full swing lessons too close together and not allowing for sufficient practice time.  Yesterday I re-booked several lessons to stretch them out.  I did lose the “5th Free Lesson” but I should be getting more value out of the four.
    I took my 1st Full Swing lesson last Tuesday and focus was on the driver and I plan on doing the drill he gave me repeatedly until my next lesson.  In keeping with the goals I have begun updating My Swing (StuM) and my recent lesson recap is there if interested: 
     
    I’ve begun reading LSW and would have it completed if I did not keep re-reading sections.  Its an easy read but I really want to have a firm grasp on it.  I should be competed with it this week.
    The big event for me this week was my Putter Fitting.  I’ve never done a Putter Fitting before and had no idea what to expect, to say the least I was impressed.  I am encouraged by one aspect of it.  For the fitting they have you hit many balls all on a 10-foot put with no break whatsoever.  I know I will never see such a shot on the course but I was very consistent with getting the ball close to on-line.  My main issue was a slight opening of the clubface but most of the putts hit the right lip and dropped in or were only an inch or so right of the cup.  He fixed the open face and once I take my AimPoint class I feel confident I can start the ball on the proper line (I just need to know the proper line).  The main issue he saw was that I was lofting the putt @ 4% with some back-spin.  That would account for my frequent putts short of the hole.  He fitted me into an Odyssey White Hot OG 7S with 35” shaft and he adjusted the shaft to bring it to 2 degrees loft and also to keep the heel down.
    It seems all of SE Michigan has the golfing bug right now.  Carl’s was jammed all weekend.  I went early, ahead of my putter fitting, with plans to hit the driver but I could not even find a parking spot let alone a bay to hit from.  I was able to go later in the day with only @ 30-minute wait to get the bay.  I hit the entire bucket all doing the driver drill, not a single full swing.  I need to get that engrained and then work to add some speed and complete the swing.
    I have kept up with my exercise & weight loss goals.  I hit all of my FitBit goals for the entire month of February and am down 11 pounds.  Only 1 pound short of my 3lb per week goal and I will blame that on taking my 91 year old father out to Olive Garden.  
    I expect my next post to be focused on LSW since the next 2 weeks are dedicated to range time.
  21. StuM

    My Plan and its Evolution

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    My overriding goal is, of course, to lower my scoring and the unstated goal is to move from the B Flight to the A Flight in my league.  I am not going to repeat my initial 2021 goals here but you can see them here if you like.  There is a fair amount of detail on my game from last year.
     
     
    It would be arrogant of me to think that my initial plan is so perfect that it should be carved in stone and never allowed to change.  The plan has barely begun and thanks to TST that plan is already evolving.
    Near the end of January, I realized that my golf clothes from last year were going to be a little tight (Ok, VERY Tight) thanks to my added poundage over the last 6 months.  This led me to add “Lose Weight” to my goals as I do believe physical fitness can help one’s golf game.  I set a goal to lose 33 pounds over 11 weeks.  That would get me to my goal prior to the start of my golf league on April 20th.  I started on Jan. 31st and to date I am down 10 pounds and well on track.  This is requiring a lot of time on the treadmill and spinning bike as well as no beer, pizza, pasta and many other things I enjoy (enjoy too much that is) but I am OK with that. I know those will be added back into the menu once golf starts and we head out for dinner & drinks after the round to celebrate or commiserate and thus they are only a short-term restriction.
    I was reading the “Have You Ever Carried a ‘Gimmick’ Club in Your Bag?” thread and realized my putter, an old “Heavy Putter” was considered a Gimmick Club and that led me to a review of the Heavy Putter by @iacas from 2005. (https://thesandtrap.com/b/clubs/b3_heavy_putter_review).  While reading his review I noticed some of Erik's negative points about the club were issues I was experiencing with my own putting. I am not one to avoid self-criticism but I am also open to blaming inanimate objects, such as a putter, for my problems.  This made me begin to look at a new putter and a couple of weeks ago I stopped in a local Golf Galaxy to look at putters.  Before I got to the putters, I saw a few Clicgear carts on display.  I have been looking at Clicgear since last March and have not seen them on display in the past year and those on the web have been heavily marked up.  Given my new goal to lose weight I decided to add “Walk More Rounds” to my list of goals as a way to achieve and maintain the weight loss.  I’m now the proud owner of a Clicgear 4.0 and eager to get out and use it. 
    Back to the Putter and the “Gimmick Club” thread.  @dennyjones planted the seed for a Putter Fitting and he used the word “Investment” and I like Investments.  So the next day I contacted Carl’s Golfland and scheduled the fitting for Feb. 28th.  I’m confident that will be the topic of a future blog post….and also may result in a new putter😊.  Added “Get Putter Fitting” to the list of goals.  I will get this done prior to my Aimpoint Express lessons which were in the initial goal list so I can learn & practice with the new putter (assuming I get a new putter….if that is even an assumption)
    A short time ago Erik asked if I had read LSW and I admitted I had not.  I have read many reviews on LSW and read many posts discussing LSW but I’ve never actually read LSW.  Just like reading reviews on restaurants, eventually you need to stop reading the reviews and go eat the food.  Thus, I added “Read LSW” to my goals and ordered my copy which arrived this past Friday.  I currently have no idea what a “Cone” is (I’m confident he is not referring to an Ice Cream Cone) but expect learning about “Cones” and other concepts will result in further evolution of my Golf Transformation Plan.
    I scheduled my 4 lessons as per my initial goals and they had a special "buy 4 get 1 lesson free" so now that is 5 lessons.  The only catch was I have to complete all 5 by April 1st.  Thus my first lesson (driver) will be this Tuesday and my 5th lesson will be March 31st.  The hard part will be making time to practice in between the lessons while also fitting in my AimPoint lessons.  Erik also reminded me of my dormant “My Swing” thread so adding “Post to My Swing” to my goals.  This will be tough initially since my home does not have space to swing freely inside but I will figure it out.  I plan on asking my teaching pro if he minds me posting the video recaps of our lessons he sends me and may post those to My Swing.
    With my first lesson on Feb. 23 and my Putter Fitting on Feb. 28 I figure my next post will be something like “The Journey Begins" or "Time for Action".
  22. StuM

    Setting the Stage

    By StuM,


    My Personal Golf Transformation
    I’ve decided to create this blog to chronical what I hope is a major transformation in my golf game.  I am not an experienced writer and have no idea if anyone will find this of interest but I am forging ahead anyway.  I hope you enjoy and I look forward to your thoughts & comments.
    I have been golfing for many years.  I took 2 lessons in high school but played very little after that year until 2000 when my wife & I planned to start golfing together and purchased some real cheap clubs.  Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with melanoma shortly thereafter and spent the next couple of years avoiding the sun which interrupted our plans. In 2003 I started at a new firm and it allowed for more time golfing and I hacked it up that first summer and then took a series of lessons over the winter with visions of shocking my co-workers when the 2004 season started.  There was no shock, I stunk like a dead skunk pancaked on a road.
    I do not recall the exact year but sometime around 2006-2007 I joined a league and the consistent play did help improve my game a little but not enough to move from the B-Flight to the A-Flight.  Over the next several years I took a scattered lessons, did an Iron Fitting (got some decent Mizuno Irons & Hybrids) and 2 Driver Fittings (first getting a Nike then most recently a Ping) but there was no real plan and thus no real results.
    In 2018 my game really deteriorated.  There was a point in October 2019 when I could not hit my driver over the water on a Par 3.  That was the first round of my life where I stopped mid-round and just rode the cart while the others finished the 18 holes.  I could barely walk.  A trip to an Orthopedic Surgeon showed my right hip had no cartilage left which was stopping my turn which prevented anything resembling a proper golf swing.  I had hip replacement surgery in Feb. 2019 and did notice an improvement in my golf in summer 2019, but my game still had that smell I mentioned above.  It was a little better but not good.
    In early 2020, during the start of the COVID Pandemic, I noticed I could not access my Game Golf on the web and did a search which led me to a TST thread “Is Game Golf Dead” and that got me reading other content on TST.  Over the following months I read many more threads and began to understand that I never had a “Plan for Improvement” and that was why my improvement, even with some lessons and club fittings, never achieved what I was hoping for.   I now have formulated a plan and goals that I am hoping will transform my game.  At a minimum it will transform my approach to the game.
    I am just beginning to implement my plan and will go into that in my next post "My Plan and its Evolution".
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

  I accept
The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...